216 PARISOMA LAYARDI. 



Adult Male. Upper parts as well as the wings and tail as in P. 

 subcaruleum ; under parts paler, the throat-stripes less strongly marked 

 and the abdomen and under tail-coverts white, the latter with obscure 

 brownish centres. "Bill and legs dark; iris yellowish white " (Bradshaw, 

 <? 19. 3. 81, Orange B.). Total length 5-4, cultnen 0-4, wing 2-6, tail 2-5, 

 tarsus 0'8. 



Adult Female. Like the male. " Iris bluish white " Colesberg (Atmore). 

 Another specimen, 5 10. 11. 68, Colesberg (Ortlepp) has the upper parts, 

 thighs and under tail-coverts very much browner. 



Layard's Hill Tit inhabits South. Africa south of the 

 Cunene river, and west of 30° B. longitude. 



In western South Africa Chapman records the species as 

 " scarce but rather widely distributed," and that it resembles 

 P. subcseruleum in habits and manners. Andersson writes : 

 " I have observed it, though very sparingly, in Damara aud 

 Great Namaqualand, and near the west coast of Cape Colony. 

 I have also obtained specimens from the Okavango, which are 

 of a darker and richer hue than those from Damara and 

 Great Namaqualand ; this is also the case with specimens 

 from the western part of the colony." 



According to the late Dr. Bradshaw : " It is scarce on the 

 Orange river, and not found so near water as P. subcasruleum." 

 In Cape Colony the species would appear to be restricted to 

 the northern aud eastern provinces, for I do not find any 

 mention of it from the immediate neighbourhood of the Cape. 

 Mr. Layard writes : " We procured this species at Nel's 

 Poort about the mountains ; in its habits it resembles P. 

 subcseruleum, for which we at first mistook it. It is difficult 

 to shoot, as it creeps about dense bushes, and on being 

 hunted conceals itself in the thickest parts and remains 

 perfectly still. My friend, Mr. Henry Jackson, calls it the 

 ' Mocking Bird ' from its habits of imitation, and informs 

 me that it makes a cup-shaped nest in a bush, and lays 

 three eggs, which are pure white, blotched chiefly at the 



